Diamonds
by maliawayne
Summary: Keira Amori, a 24 yr. old Gotham native with an exceptional talent, the gift of understanding body language and psychology as if it was second nature to her. Keira returns to Gotham as a consultant for the police. The truth of her past is revealed as she is exploited by Ra's Al Ghul, all while her bond between both Bruce Wayne and Batman grow ever stronger. AU Mixture of Nolan
1. Chapter 1

Keira stared down at Gotham city. The brightness of the city contrasted well against the darkness of the night. It had been six years that she had even been remotely close to Gotham, besides when she was here last week to sign the documents regarding her penthouse, but even then she was here for less than twenty-four hours.

She vowed that she would return to her homeland but she didn't realize it would be this soon. She thought that she would be returning when she was in her mid-thirties. When she was settled down and married in California and had a good career and visited Gotham whenever she had time to go on a vacation. Instead, she was moving back when she was only twenty-four and instead of a solid career, she was just hired by Commissioner Gordon, as a psychiatric consultant for the criminals of Gotham.

Keira had a gift when it came to people. Instantly, she could read their body language, she could tell when a person was lying or telling the truth, it didn't matter who it was. She was able to understand the human nature like nobody else could even dream of. However, when it came to feelings of affection that were generated towards her, she was clueless.

Her thoughts drifted as she gazed at Gotham from her view on the plane. Despite how dangerous Gotham maybe, there are good sides to Gotham. Gotham was one of those city's that captured you're soul; it might have been that she was born there, but she knew that she would always come home to Gotham.

Keira had finally at Gotham International and instantly could feel the coldness of the city as it was close to January. She had begun to miss the sunny rays of California. With only a backpack as her luggage she began the walk to her new apartment.

Everything looked the same to Keira. Oddly, it feels as if she had never left. As she walked down the streets to her new apartment in the heart of the city, she recognized the shops and restaurants that are still up and running and also see some that were not so lucky to stay open in the time that she had been gone.

Her apartment was only 20 blocks away from the airport and hopefully the movers had installed all of her furniture, or more so the lack of furniture. Keira had only wanted to keep her mattress, wardrobe, and couch from her home in Calabasas, California. Evidently, she needed to get new furniture and appliances before the brutal winter.

Keira had finally reached her apartment; the evening chill had begun to sink in. Her body would need some extra time to adjust to the different climate of Gotham compared to California, she thought. She took the small elevator up to the fifteenth floor of the building, the penthouse. The apartment building was one of the many owned by Wayne Enterprises.

Ah, Bruce Wayne, the kid who lost his parents when he was in fourth grade. She had that in common with him. Her parents were killed in a fire when she was only nine. He was only a year older than Keira but she could hardly remember anything about him, and that never happens. He seemed to have faded away once his parents were murdered. Rumor is he is a massive rich playboy now, probably his way of dealing with things, hiding behind the wealth and luxuries that the modern world had granted him. Keira pulled her keys out from her backpack and could immediately feel the warmth radiating from her room as she opened her door.

Keira saw the panoramic windows that encompassed her whole apartment. God, how she loved those. The living room was shared with the kitchen and on the opposite side of the apartment were two large bedrooms, the master bed being huge actually. The penthouse was very modern even with the lack of furniture. Keira trudged to her bedroom, in sheer delight when she saw her mattress on the bare floor with blankets on it. Kiera peeled off her multiple jackets and slid into bed, not caring that she was still somewhat fully dressed.

Today would be the first day on the job for Keira. She hadn't seen Commissioner Gordon is years and she was glad that she was working with him. Technically, Keira didn't have a boss, in a sense she didn't have an actual job. Keira was just a consultant for the Gotham City Police Department acquiring the criminals of Gotham. In a way, Keira predicted what the criminal would do next in order to help the police. She was just glad she was working with Gordon; of all the people in Gotham she was glad that she would see him every day of the week.

Keira looked in her closet, happy to find that her clothes from her prior visit to Gotham last week are still there. She was able to find black dress pants and a short pale blue V-neck along with classic black heels. Keira glanced in the mirror, her long dark hair flowed down her back in soft waves and her light green eyes glowed against her clear tan complexion. She definitely looked like she was from California and a model at that. Keira showed no sign of makeup, in fact she was slightly against it.

Keira was unaware of her rare exotic beauty as she walked down the streets of Gotham. She had only had two serious relationships, all of which she had ended. Keira was clueless when it came to men and relationships. Not that she didn't know how to flirt, but when it came to a man that she actually liked, she had no idea what she was doing, even with her gift of understanding peoples actions and body language.

Gotham Police department was full of criminals. The cops were busy this entire week and it was definitely showing on Gordon. He was glad that he could see Keira again after all this time. She was part of his family; after all he and his family are the only ones she has left after her parents died. He stared at the paper on his desk, stacks of information about the Falcone crimes and new evidence regarding the Joker case. These wackjobs will not let up, he thought, especially with the increased attempts of breakouts at Arkham. Gordon was very appreciative that he had Batman on his side during all of this. Not to mention Dent definitely helped. Gordon glanced at his watch. He was to meet Keira at Gotham Square for lunch in thirty minutes.

"Cohen, I'm heading out for coffee, make sure the evidence on Joker gets looked at and recorded. I should be back in an hour or so." Gordon called to Eric Cohen, one of the detectives of MCU. Eric just nodded his head as he sucked on his usual lollipop.

"Got it, boss."

Gordon pulled his trench coat tighter as he walked down the steps of the station and towards Gotham Square. He glanced around at the people surrounding him. His thoughts drifted to Kiera and her parents. It was tragic really. He remembered it all too well. It was late in February, February 17th to be exact. It was past midnight, Keira's parents, Elena and Alexander Amori, were at home sleeping when their home was set ablaze. Gordon was only a lieutenant at the time and he was just about to finish his duty when he received the alert. Gordon and his men arrived at the home of the Amori's, or what was left of it. The mansion was lit up in flames; barely any of the home could be seen under the fire. It was one of the largest fires Gordon had ever witnessed, and he had seen a lot of fires before.

"Where's the child?" Gordon demanded. He hated not being able to do something about the situation. All he could do was wait for the fire department to tame the fire.

"In the ambulance, EMP's treating her." Replied Cornwell, a detective at the time.

Gordon walked over to the ambulance; his face fell at what he saw. Sitting on the back of the truck was a young girl, black ash covering her body and bright red flesh could be seen on her arms and legs, no doubt burns from escaping the fire. He noticed she didn't even blink when he approached and sat next to her. She was staring at the road, her eyes showed no emotion, as if she was numb, tears stained her ashen cheeks.

The girl looked no older than ten, albeit she was tall for her age. Gordon took off his jacket, he knew the girl must have been cold, it was February in Gotham. He draped the grey corduroy jacket the girl's shoulders and didn't say anything as the EMP finished bandaging the burns.

"She hasn't talked at all." The EMP said suddenly as he finished with the bandages. They both glanced at the young girl.

"I wouldn't be either if I was her. " Gordon finally said, sadness filling his voice. He felt so sorry for the girl, not pity, just sorry that she had to watch her parents die like this.

"I'm taking her back to the station, she shouldn't be here anymore." Gordon stated, determination clear in his voice. The EMP only nodded his head.

"She could be in shock, I would take it easy with her. Keep her away from anything that even remotely looks like fire, it might trigger something. Is there any idea how it started? The fire that is."

`"No, I'll have my men do an investigation, but I'm afraid that if they don't find anything then we can't prolong the investigation. Good job, sir." Gordon tilted his head to the girl. He realized he still didn't know her name. Gordon walked over and crouched down so he was level with her.

"Hey sweetie, I'm Jim, mind telling me your name?" The girl just stared at Gordon with her green eyes.

"I'm here to help. I'm Lieutenant Jim Gordon of Gotham police department."

"Keira." She finally said, showing a perfect set of white teeth. Jim couldn't help but smile.

"Keira, that's such a pretty name. Do you want to get some hot chocolate at the police station with me?" Kiera nodded as her reply. The two left hand in hand back to the station.

Jim remembered it like it was yesterday. He could still see the raw emotion that was evident in the girl's eyes but now he was looking into the same eyes but with instead with happiness in them.

Keira and Jim were seated at a café across from the square. Both didn't know what to say when they sat down. Keira broke the silence.

"I can't believe I'm back." She said trailing off. "It feels as if I never had left. I can still remember where everything is and every detail about it."

"_I_ can't believe you're back. You've grown so much since I've last seen you. Which was when? Decades ago?"

"I believe it has actually been six and I am six foot now so…" Keira said with a grin. She literally could light up the world with her smile. "So, about the job… Is there anything that might surprise me before I start?" She continued. Gordon widened his eyes as he finished his sip of coffee.

"Mhh, how could I forget, the Batman. We partially work with him, well at least my force does. I'm the only one who sees him and talks to him; however, you'll be with me tonight when we meet with him." Gordon said, hoping she wouldn't freak out, but knowing Keira, she never backs down from anything. Keira stared blankly at Gordon.

"The Batman?" She said in surprise. "I remember reading about it in an article when I was still in school but I didn't know it was actually real… "

"The Batman has done a lot to help Gotham, you might be surprised, but once you realize what he's done… I can't even thank him enough times. It strange though, he's putting his life on the line almost every night and doesn't even want anything back, it makes me wonder who is under the suit." Gordon held his coffee cup as he looked out through the window; Keira was mixing her hot chocolate deep in thought.

"Probably someone with a past and a vengeance, no one dresses up as a bat and fights crime for fun Jim, there must be something psychologically wrong."

"Maybe, I guess with your talents we shall see tonight."

Gordon placed a twenty on the table as the two finished their drinks and pastries. They quietly left the coffee shop and walked around Gotham Square. The weather was perfect, it was sunny yet cold. Not a cloud in the sky.

"So, the cops are working with the Batman… Isn't that illegal?" Keira smirked as they stopped at the fountain in the middle of the square. The fountain was donated to Gotham by Thomas and Martha Wayne.

"Yes… It is illegal, but it's just MCU working with him, or more like me working with him. We need him, the criminals we have to handle…. They're too much for average cops."

Keira nodded her head in agreement.

"Keira, this is going to be very dangerous. You're going to be wanted dead by many people."

"I can handle it Jim, you'd be surprised of what I'm capable of."

Gordon gave her a look. She needed to know how dangerous working for Gotham will be. And he didn't want to see someone he saw as his own daughter get hurt because of the job.

They continued to walk around the square.

"How's Barbara? Is she still in college?

"Yeah, she's at Penn State. She's doing good. I talked to her last night, I told her u were moving back. She's glad that you are. She said she'll visit soon to see you." Keira smiled. Barbara was her closest friend. Ever since her parents deaths they have been best friends. But they lost touch once Keira moved away to California.

"That's good. I miss her."

"Yeah, me too. I gotta get back to the station. But I'll see you tonight back at MCU. I'll give you the files then." The two hugged before they departed.

Keira stayed at the square looking at the fountain. She didn't want to go to her apartment. She thought about last night, she didn't have the usual nightmare. That was the first time in six years. She thought that it was because she was back in Gotham. That it gave her some sort of peace. Gotham dis put her dreams at ease, but only for that night. Little did she know that she would be far from peace.

"Gordon." A deep throaty voice sounded from behind Jim and Kiera. They were looking down at Gotham from the top of MCU. They both turned around. Gordon glanced at Keira, unsure at her response at seeing batman right in front of her. Majority of people would shy away and show some form of fear, except she was calm, it seemed as if she was actually curious about him. Keira was always different one.

Keira wasn't very intimidated. She realized batman was a scary figure, especially with the all black armor that enhanced his muscles, but she was more curious about the man behind the mask. Keira held Batman's gaze, not at all frightened by the white lenses that seemed to hide his every expression.

Gordon turned back to Batman. He was surprised that Batman was staring back at Keira. Gordon cleared his throat.

"We got new evidence on Joker. We have prints but there's no match in our database."

"I know." Replied the gruff voice. Batman glanced at Keira.

"Uh, batman this is Keira Amori. Keira, Batman. She's a Gotham native, she'll be a great help with our cases." Batman only nodded his head, besides that he didn't give Keira any other recognition.

"The joker is planning something. Something big. The crimes have been down and Gotham is quiet, for now. I'll continue the research; however I suggest you take a break for the time being. At least before jokers plan takes action."

Batman looked at Keira through white lenses.

"You should know what you're getting yourself into," he continued," joker is a pure maniac. He doesn't have a filter with anything he does. He won't stop at anything. He's smarter than many thi-"

"I know." Keira interrupted. Her tender voice showed strong confidence

"I read up on the joker, I've researched all of his previous attacks. I can predict what he'll do next. He may not have a strategy but he's out for something. He's out for you. He's not doing it for vengeance, however, more for the fun of it, if you will. He'll have a system of attracts. He will be the distraction when meanwhile something larger is going on elsewhere, most likely to distract you and to engage your thoughts elsewhere. He'll predict your move and turn it into his own advantage. The only way to defeat him in some manner is to obviously do what he thinks you won't. Which means you'll have to go against your instincts."

Batman was dumbfounded by her knowledge of the joker, and of him, of course he didn't show it though. He kept the hardened face. He was in awe at how she caught the joker spot on without meeting him and just from the field reports.

Gordon was shocked. He stood next to Keira in a stupor. He knew Keira was gifted but this topped his previous thoughts.

"Precisely, I will be in contact with both of you relatively soon. I'll keep you both updated."

And with that he left.

"That was interesting." Gordon said as he turned off the light on top of MCU. The walked downstairs and back to the main office.

"He's very interesting to say the least."

"Interesting? What man dresses up as a bat and fights crime in one of the most dangerous cities of the world?"

"Obviously he has issues, Jim."

"Alright, enough of the bat. Do u need a ride to your place?" Jim held the door open to the station.

"I'm alright, thanks though. I'm fine with walking."

The new coworkers departed their ways down the streets of Gotham. Batman could see Keira walk to her apartment from his spot on one of the many rooftops on Gotham. He realized she lived in one of the new Wayne enterprises buildings.

Bruce finished patrol around 4 in the morning. He knew he should go to bed but his mind awake. Joker was out there planning something disastrous. Plus, there's was the new girl who seemed to know Joker like the back of her hand. Keira Amori.

Bruce sat before the large computer screen. It showed the profile of Keira Amori. Bruce read her stats. She graduated from UCLA with a masters in psychology, she got a full scholarship there for volleyball, but she was also offered scholarships in soccer and crew. Next came pictures, mainly they were from high school. Pictures of Keira playing volleyball and soccer and pictures of the awards that she won along with her at school functions and dances. Keira was the epitome of an achiever.

"Hmm, she seems like quite the catch, Master Bruce. Although she does look a bit young. " Alfred said as he peered at the screen. Bruce was unaware that Alfred had entered the cave.

"These pictures are six years old, Alfred."

"May I ask who it is, sir?"

"Keira Amori."

"Amori? I remember that name. Their death is quite tragic really."

"Her parents?" Bruce scrolled down and finally reached the part about the death of her parents.

"House fire, I believe. They never did find out how the fire started. I remember your father talking about it a few weeks before-

"Before he died." Bruce finished. Bruce continued to read the article. He felt oddly intoxicated by the girl. She really did have a gift. Bruce read her file over and over again, knowing every aspect of her personal life. After her parents died, Keira stayed in multiple foster homes. She was granted with a large sum of money that her parents left for her, nearly as much as Bruce was left with. He was sure her wealth doubled if not tripled by now. She was very popular in school, she graduated top in her class and had many friends, Barbara Gordon seemed to be her best friend though.

Bruce relaxed back in his chair. He glanced at the clock, it was past six. He had spent two hours researching this girl.

Bruce removed his armor and trudged upstairs to his room to finally get some sleep.

Keira was playing solitaire at the station. She was bored out of her mind. It had been three weeks since her first encounter and she had only seen him briefly since then.

The crime rate had dropped. In fact there seemed to have been no crimes at all. The criminals of Gotham were in a hiatus for what seemed years.

The doors of MCU burst open as Christian, the mailman for the station, barged in with his mail cart. Christian was in his senior year of college, he was tall, dark hair and hazel eyes. If Keira was twenty again then she would have made an effort to see him as more than a friend.

Christian waltzed over to Keira's desk.

"Mail for you Madame Keira." Christian mocked in a British accent as he bowed before her, his outstretched arm holding an all-black envelope.

"Thank you, Sir Christian." Keira said as she curtsied. That's one of the things she liked about Christian, he always had a good sense of humor.

Keira read the outside of the envelope. To Miss. Keira Amori it read in fancy silver script as she sat back down at her desk.

Keira rolled her eyes and just ripped open the envelope.

You are formally invited to the Wayne Foundation's Annual Black Tie Affair

January 12, 2012

7 o'clock P.M. to midnight

Wayne Tower Ballroom

Keira raised her brows in surprise. She was invited to Bruce Wayne's party. Holy shit, she thought.

"Oh my God! Keira!" Kiera jumped when she suddenly heard Shelby's voice from behind her.

Shelby Moor was one of the detectives for MCU. She and Kiera had become good friends since Keira started hanging out at the station regularly. Shelby was definitely outspoken, whatever her opinion was, she said it. Keira and Shelby usually went out together; Shelby was the definition of a clubber. She was always the one to drag Keira into the night scene of Gotham.

"Keira, you have to go. Bruce fucking Wayne invited you. This is a once in a lifetime chance."

"Shelby, don't get your hopes up. I doubt I'll go. And anyway how would he know who I am? I've never met him before."

"Oh, you're going. I'm sure he heard of you or something. Once people start talking things spread fast."

Keira read the invitation over and over again. Unable to down the fact the she was invited to one of the Wayne's infamous galas. It's not like she wasn't used to going to celebrities parties. That's all that she ever went to back in California. But she was in Gotham now. This just seemed strange to her.

"Shelby, I don't have anything to wear." Keira started.

"Which is a good thing since you're rich. So... I know what we're doing went I get off." She sang, she glanced at her watch. "Which is in approximately 10minutes!"

Keira rolled her eyes.

"I'll ask Gordon if you can leave now. You're actually starting to make me want to go..." She gave Keira a dumbfounded look.

"Well, duh. You'd be a complete fucking idiot if you didn't go. It's Bruce Wayne for crying out loud." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world,

Right, Bruce Wayne.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! This chapter is mainly for you to familiarize yourself with Keira and her gift. Hopefully, you will have a good grasp of Keira's talent, if you don't already!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or familiar characters, just Kiera and storyline.**

* * *

Shelby watched as Keira fixed her silver braided necklace. She had to admit, Keira was gorgeous. Everybody could see it except for Keira. She wore a black Versace strapless gown. It was floor length with a cut exposing her long tan legs. It made Keira look like a Greek goddess. Her hair was in a loose bun with loose curls framing her face. She looked stunning.

"I'm not going to know anybody there." Keira said for what felt like the hundredth time to Shelby. Keira glanced at Shelby through the mirror as Shelby rolled her eyes and fell onto Keira's bed.

Keira had finally finished furnishing her apartment. She went for the modern look. Her apartment was very open and bright, a contrast to the darkness of Gotham.

Keira turned from the large mirror that lay against one of the walls in her room.

"Every man will have his eyes on you, especially Mr. Wayne." Shelby said with a sly grin and a wink. Keira rolled her eyes.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Well, it's supposed to." Shelby said with a laugh.

"I'll be the single girl sitting at her table drinking her worries away."

"Well if you wanted to go with a date then I'm sure Christian would have loved to have gone with you… Don't worry though; you'll be dancing all night with a ton of guys. So hush. And as someone who cares for your well-being, I suggest you get going. It's already past seven and I know that I told you it's good to be fashionably late but probably arriving _after_ Bruce Wayne is just bad."

Shelby got up and walked out of the room with Keira following.

"As you command."

Keira grabbed her clutch and took one last look in the mirror. She stared at herself and thought of all the possible ways this night could go. Most of them ended with Keira being in the most awful situations resulting in complete embarrassment.

"Get outta here! Your carriage awaits!" Shelby shouted holding the front door open. She had Keira's coat and gloves in her other hand. Keira gave her a look as she walked briskly over to Shelby.

"Have fun." Shelby smirked as Keira grabbed her clutch and jacket and left the apartment.

Keira watched the buildings zoom by as Jason, her chauffeur for the night, drove south through Gotham to Wayne Tower. Jason was an elderly man with a bit of a beer belly, he's the kind of person who has a lot of stories and secrets that you'll never know about, that's how Keira viewed him. Of course, she was right. A native of Gotham, Jason never moved, he knows the secrets of Gotham, where to go, what to do, and what people to avoid. And as a chauffeur in Gotham, he's had many clients, innocent tourists and normal citizens of Gotham but also some of the most wanted criminals of Gotham. But these things would never leave Jason's lips, and Keira could tell.

The event had started immediately at seven, even without Bruce Wayne. But that wasn't taken as a surprise to anyone. The ballroom was marvelous, the decorations were very detailed and fit the night perfectly. The tables and chairs were all black with silver accents on the tables and walls. The wealthy citizens of Gotham stood in cliques as they waited for the event to start.

"Always late." Alfred muttered as he walked into the ballroom kitchen. Alfred took a sip of champagne as he waited beside the doors. He knew he would need it tonight. Soon enough he heard a ruckus in the ballroom and all the staff looked through the windows on the doors to see Bruce Wayne exiting a private jet with two models on his arms. _Typical, _Alfred thought. He rolled his eyes and took another sip of champagne.

Bruce cleared his throat as he took the microphone.

"Good evening everyone," He began in a sultry voice, "First, I must apologize for being late. I hope you all were enjoying yourselves while waiting for me, because I know I was." Bruce winked at the crowd as they erupted in laughter.

At that very moment, Keira had just checked in her coat and entered the ballroom. She was in awe at how well the place looked. She immediately wondered what was going on when she heard the loud laughter of the guests. She peered over their heads; mentally thanking Shelby for making her wear four-inch heels. She was easily taller than most of the men there.

"I would really like to thank all you for donating and making an effort to come tonight and thank you to our staff for helping out…" _Shit. I didn't make a donation_, Keira realized. She glanced around the room looking for a place for her to make a donation, not paying any attention to what Bruce was saying. She saw a booth on the opposite side of the ballroom with a small group of people who looked her age all in the same uniform.

"Thank you, Bruce, always the one to start the night. Shortly, we will ask you to return to your tables so we may start the courses but for now please enjoy the music from Mumford & Suns!" The booming voice snapped Keira out of her thoughts as the lights dimmed and music began playing. She loved Mumford & Suns but they were all they hype in California months ago and frankly she had been to so many of their concerts that she was getting tired of them.

Keira watched the two men on stage shake hands and exit off the stage. _So that's Bruce Wayne._ From her spot, she could only tell that he was well-built with dark hair, a slightly tanned complexion and had a dazzling smile.

She walked over to the donation booth as the crowed started dispersing around her.

"Hi, I'd like to make a donation." Keira said. She stood before a young couple both matching in black uniforms. She noticed there seemed to be tension between the two. They both were facing the opposite way from each other and the vibes Keira was getting made her realize that the two were probably exes. They looked only a few years younger than her, the duo probably signed up to volunteer together before they broke up. She knew how that was, obviously there were still mutual feelings that they had together. The other staff memebers behind the booth seemed to not care at all about what was going on; they were too busy discussing a party coming up. They looked around the couple's age, as well. Keira remembered when she had volunteered at functions with her friends back in high school and even sometimes in college as her way to get into a celebrity's party.

"Name?" The guy said as he grabbed a highlighter and a packet with a list of names on it, he glanced at the girl before looking at Keira, the girl was clearly ignoring him.

"Keira Amori. A-M-O-R-I." She spelled out.

"Ok, Ms. Amori, here's the paper you need to fill out to make your donation." Keira wrote her name and address but paused when it asked for the donation amount. _Oh, fuck it._ Keira wrote $100,000 in the same handwriting that she used in high school.

"Ms. Amori." A charming voice called from behind Keira. She turned to find Bruce Wayne approaching her. _Holy mother, he looks so much better up close. _Keira couldn't help but think about how good-looking he was. Along with strong cheekbones, his striking light blue eyes contrasted well with his almost-black hair. She couldn't help but notice how soft his hair looked. She didn't realize how tall he was until he in front of her, she was already six-foot and with heels on she was only slightly taller than him.

Keira immediately realized how much he looked like his parents. She had never met them, but while they were alive, she had seen many videos and pictures of them. Bruce had his father's face and build while he had his mother's lips and eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Wayne, please, just call me Keira. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Keira smiled politely as she reached out to shake his hand but instead he kissed her own. She was slightly appalled at this, immediately realizing that he was a player, or maybe just a try-hard.

"The pleasure is most certainly all mine and please, just call me Bruce. " He gave her a large grin.

_Huh, he's hiding something. Weird._

"That is quite a large sum there, if you don't mind me intruding." He glanced at the paper on the table.

"Yes, well I do like to help out my favorite city."

"You do realize you're one of the few who say that right?" Keira didn't understand what he meant. "To many people Gotham isn't their favorite city." He continued.

"Well, I guess it's different for the people who grew up here and learned the beauty of Gotham. It's unlike any other city to say the least."

Bruce nodded his head in agreement, not taking his eyes off her bright green ones. Keira looked away from his intense stare. She knew there was something about him, something peculiar. The more she looked at him the more she felt like she had already knew him, but she knew that wasn't right because she would have definitely remembered meeting Bruce Wayne.

"I believe yo-"

"Keira!"

The two turned around to find a young redhead in a short black cocktail dress walking towards them. Keira immediately recognized her.

"Barbara!" Keira left Bruce without a second thought and embraced her best friend.

"Look at you, sexy. You clean up well." Barbara joked. Keira couldn't help but laugh, she was ecstatic that she was able to see her best friend again.

"Look who's talking! What are you doing here? I thought you were still taking classes at Penn.?"

Bruce looked on at the two ladies before he walked away. He was slightly pissed that he wasn't able to finish talking to Keira, mainly to find out more about her, information that wasn't in her profile. He couldn't question her as Batman, that would be too risky.

He couldn't deny that Keira was drop dead gorgeous, she topped any of the models he's ever seen, and Bruce Wayne has seen a lot. She was tall, lean, athletic, and intelligent.

"Bruce, we thought you left us!" The two models hooked arms with him and did their best at flirting with him.

"You both know I would never do that." Bruce led the two models to one of the reporters for the Gotham Gazette. He needed to make sure to get publicity tonight.

Keira and Barbara were busy chatting at an empty table. The party was beginning to die down but they hardly noticed.

"What are you majoring in, again?" Keira asked before she took a sip of her third Shirley temple. She would always be a child at heart.

"Library science… You, uh, still got it?" She nonchalantly gestured to her temple.

"Oh yeah, it's even better now. I'm able to understand them upon first meeting them, like even if they only say three sentences, I can tell what they're thinking. It's so much easier now."

"Good, because with what my dad's been telling me, they're going to need you once things start moving along."

"I know, and I'm ready." Keira replied with a devilish smile, Barbara couldn't help but laugh.

Barbara and Keira took a small break from their conversation. Barbara looked around the room while Keira was texting Shelby back. She laid eyes on Bruce talking to the Mayor.

"So, tell me, how was it meeting the Prince of Gotham? Hope I didn't interrupt your conversation.'"

Keira looked at Barbara, then to Bruce, back to Barbara, and then finally returning to her phone.

"You didn't, well, actually he was about to say something but it's fine. He's hiding something." She replied very casually.

"Really? What makes you say that?"

Keira peeled her eyes off her phone and looked at Bruce; his back was facing her and this time he was talking to Lucius Fox.

"Besides the playboy persona that is most definitely an act, I'm not sure. I can tell that he's trying really hard to come off as this douche that doesn't care about anything, but there's something weird about it. I can't read him like other people. It's so much harder for me, he's like closed off or something."

_That's how it was when meeting the Batman, he was hard was closed off. He showed no emotion, especially none that could be seen under all of his armor._

Keira immediately realized something. There were only two people in the world that she couldn't fully understand, and that was Bruce Wayne and Batman. Immediately she had her suspicions.

_He has a motive, his parents were murdered. He has money, explains the funding for Batman's armor and weapons. Bruce Wayne puts on a show, to-_

"Keira…. Keira!" Keira returned from her thoughts and realized she had stared at Bruce Wayne the entire time, and he had looked at her too. She immediately turned to Barbara who looked very amused, she gave Keira a knowing look.

"You've stared at Bruce Wayne for like 10 minutes straight. Did you just have a revelation that he was hot or something?" She glanced at Bruce. She saw that he was watching Keira.

"Uh, yeah, something like tha-"

"Oh my god, Keira! He was staring back at you too!" She exclaimed. She continued in a more relax tone, " Keira, Bruce has the hots for you.". Keira rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, let's get out of here. It's almost two." Keira sat and began collecting her things. She made sure to have the ticket for her coat.

"Wait, one more drink!" Barbara danced over to the bar. She returned with two shot glasses.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" Keira playfully asked as she took a glass, fully knowing that Barbara was turning twenty-one next month. Barbara gave her a look of fake hurt.

"How dare you even ask that, I am well of age." She winked at Keira.

The two downed their shots then went out into the night of Gotham. Keira would ignore her findings about the Prince of Gotham till she wasn't busy, when she could fully research him.

Bruce watched Keira and Barbara Gordon leave the ballroom. He suspected Keira knew something, what it was he didn't know. Bruce finished his conversation with Lucius about new armor. All of the guests had left and it was time for him to go on patrol.

That night was eerily quiet. Batman had only stopped one mugging and two drug deals. He might as well go home, but that wasn't Batman.

Batman was perched on a gargoyle from one the old buildings looking down at his city. He was in the Bowery, ready for anything out of the ordinary to occur.

The joker disappeared, for now. Bruce was at a dead-end with him. There were no more attacks, no more bombs, no more innocent people dying. It was as if the Joker never put Gotham into a deeper hell.

It was four o'clock. The usual time Bruce returned to the Manor, he made his way through Gotham on the tops of the buildings but stopped when he realized he was on the building directly across from Keira's penthouse.

He watched as the light flickered on and he could make out a body moving around in the kitchen.

_**Why is she up**_?

He could see her figure walk to the large panoramic windows and look down at Gotham.

There was something about her that was very intriguing, besides her amazing ability, he just couldn't place it.

Bruce continued to watch Keira walk around her large apartment, wondering what she was doing.

She paced back and forth, unable to get the disturbing images out of her head. This happened every night, always the same dream, the death of her parents. She always woke up in a cold sweat at the same scene in her dream, when an unrecognizable man facing her parents bodies and turned to face her. Fire was all around them, nearly consuming them. The man had grey hair with striking green eyes. He wore a black suit but an odd tattoo was still showing on his right hand.

She was unable to understand why she dreamt it every night. She knew it was when her parents died, she knew that man was really there, she remembered him perfectly, but she didn't know if he was the one who started the fire, if he was the one who killed her parents. That's why the police never discovered how the fire started.

Keira glared at the clock above the stove. 4:36 it read in bright green digital numbers. She returned to her room and with nothing else to do, began to go over her research on the Joker again.

Keira couldn't believe she had missed it. Not only had she missed it, but also the Batman. Keira ran up the stairs of the station at noon sharp. She hoped Gordon was still there, she had discovered the meaning of the evidence Joker had left them. To her relief, she found Gordon going over paperwork in his office.

Keira had read over the evidence and reports on the Joker for more than seven hours. She researched the last known encounter the Joker had with the police, she even went to the site. After hours of hard work, she had finally found it, the missing piece. Joker had left them a clue when he blew up Gotham Bank, the most important bank in Gotham. On the joker card that was found at the bombing, Joker had written four words to Batman and the police. **Separation between the rich. **

Immediately, the police and Batman came to a conclusion that Joker was referring to Sprang River, which separates the poorer districts of Gotham from the wealthier. They concluded Joker had a plan involving Arkham Asylum since it was located in the river and the police had doubled security ever since, but Keira realized that they were wasting their time. What Joker was really referring to was the reservoir.

The reservoir was the main source of water for Gotham, it all made sense as to why Joker would plan his next attack there.

"Keira, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" Gordon questioned. He removed his glasses and looked quizzically at Keira.

"We were wrong, we all were wrong. Joker isn't planning his attack at Arkham, it's the reservoir."

Keira placed a map of Gotham city onto Gordon's desk; the map was covered with theories of what Joker's message could have meant. She had circled the reservoir and Sprang River. It all made sense to Gordon now. Joker knew that the police would suspect Arkham as place of attack. He knew it would distract the police and decrease their work force.

"Oh my…" Gordon stated.

"It's perfect really, the plan. I underestimated him."

Gordon gave Keira a look.

"No, you proved everyone that you were meant to outsmart him." Gordon said with absolute certainty. Gordon walked to his coat hanger and pulled on a leather jacket. He pulled Keira's arm as they exited the building.

"We need to tell Batman."

"I know, Keira. And we will, but later, on top of MCU. Right now, we need to discuss this in private." Gordon held a stern gaze then headed towards a Starbucks across the street.

Keira was confused, was this Gordon's definition of private? A coffee shop? She followed him into Starbucks and sat at a table as he ordered his drink.

"Is this your version of privacy?" Keira asked. She was a bit ticked off at how Gordon was acting, this wasn't how he normally behaved.

"I'm sorry, Keira. I just needed to get out of there."

"Understandable."

"We will contact... him late tonight on the roof again, like the first time." Keira nodded in agreement. Jim finished his coffee and Keira watched the many customers enter the popular coffee shop.

That night, Keira and Gordon waited on the roof of MCU for Batman. The bat signal was high in the sky. Keira took a sip of her hot coffee. She was freezing, it was nights like these where she actually wished she was in her warm cozy bed. Gordon stood by the edge of the building watching the multiple cars drive by.

"How long does he usually take?" Keira asked. Her muscled were becoming sore and she had to do everything in her power for her teeth to stop chattering. She was becoming agitated at how long Batman was taking.

"You want to tell him to hurry up? Be my guest." Jim replied with a chuckle.

"Fine, I will." Keira smiled at Gordon. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and that Batman had finally arrived.

"Batman, Kei-"

"Bout time you showed up." Keira watched for the dark knight's reaction. Nothing, not even a little twitch. Gordon stared at Keira and wondered what the hell she was thinking. Batman held Keira's glare, she even had a dark glare of her own that almost intimidated him. _Almost._

"As I was saying, Keira has found where Joker's next crime will probably occur."

"Not probably, I'm one hundred percent sure that this is where Joker will act next." She stepped in front of Gordon and looked directly at Batman. She examined him to see if there were any obvious signs of him being Bruce Wayne. Although, she could tell the similarity, most could not.

_Oh, it's so Bruce Wayne. How could they not see that? They're like twins._

"Joker referred to the separation of wealth, but he meant the seperation of wealthy districts, Coventry, Upper East Side, and the Diamond district. The only landmark separating these districts the reservoir and Robinson Park."

"And you believe Joker is either planning his attack here or having it here?"

"Having it." Batman continued to look Keira in the eyes.

Suddenly, a large explosion rang through the night of Gotham. Close range, very close, only a few blocks away, the three could hear the sound of a building deteriorating. It was coming from the Diamond district, to the north of Old Gotham. Keira ran up the outside stairs to a higher part of the roof to get a better view.

Her face fell at what lay before her, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her penthouse on Wayne Tower was blown to smithereens. Immediately, her minded flooded to all the pictures and remaining items that were once her parents that she kept in her apartment. All of them were sacred to her. Every last image of her parents were gone. The whole place on fire. The blinding fire lit up the night, it was as if the building was a match and Keira's apartment the flame.

Orange tongues licked the sky, Keira and Gordon could feel the heat radiating from the burning building through the cold airy climate.

Obnoxious sirens rang, the flashing lights reflected off the buildings, and people's' screams filled the night. Keira's home was gone, bombed. Keira turned to face Batman, demanding to know who did this. However, he wasn't there, it was as if he was never there. She knew the answer, though. The Joker.

"Keira, get inside. Now!" Gordon ordered as he shut off the bat signal. Keira ran down the stairs and hurried into the building. She heard another explosion, this time she could feel the building shake.

Gordon slid through the door and into the stairwell. He was out of breath and ash covered his face.

"Both Wayne Towers are gone." He said. He glanced down at a playing card. Flipping it over was the all too familiar joker card.

Joker was back, and this time, he was back for good.


	3. Chapter 3

Keira waited in the station for Gordon. She sat at his desk, and watched the officers and detectives hurry about to find out what the hell was going on.

She was in shock. She had lost everything, again. Everything she owned was in the penthouse. All the physical memories she had with her parents were now gone.

She had been in this position before, fifteen years ago, when her parents died. She stood in the exact seat that she was currently in. It was déjà vu.

Keira watched as Gordon walked over to her, he looked as if he was in pain. He knew that Keira was going through the same emotions when her parents died. Her face showed pure sadness and pain.

"Keira, I talked to Barb, you can stay at our place. Barbara will be there." He knelt in front of her. "It's going to be ok, we'll stop him." Gordon tried to reassure her but Keira knew the truth. She shook her head.

"We can't stop him, Jim. Only one person can, and that's going to take a great deal. Joker will bring ruin to Batman, if not ruin him." She stared at Jim with lifeless eyes, no emotion evident. She knew that what she was saying was true, no matter how harsh it was. The truth hurts.

Batman watched from the top of MCU as Gordon and Keira left in a police car towards Gordon's home. He looked at the burning building that he owned, joker cards were still falling from the explosion.

Joker did this. This is Joker's way of warning Keira. The villain knew what Keira was capable of, and no doubt that Keira discovering Joker's hideout got him pissed. But how Joker found out Keira knew was beyond Bruce, and that would be top priority.

Bruce realized that he would have to find Keira a place to stay as retribution. He would make sure it would be the best accommodation.

* * *

Keira sat on the front porch stairs of the Gordon's house. It was a small but cozy house on the safer side of Gotham, Barb and Jim's kids were asleep while Barbara and Jim were in the kitchen.

She watched the bright full moon above her, it was late, almost one. Sadness filled her. She leaned back against the stairs as a black figure caught her eye. She turned her head and standing to her right was the one and only Batman. She took a deep breath before standing and facing him.

"Joker blew up your apartment."

"Really?! Because I couldn't tell." Keira snapped back. She wondered what kind of statement that was, like no shit Joker blew up her home. Batman kept his composure.

"He knows how much of a threat you are, that was his warning."

"How does he even know what I can do?"

"People talk, Joker has his resources." Keira nodded in agreement. She knew the answer to her question, but she just needed to hear it from someone else.

"You need to be kept safe; Joker won't refrain from attacking again until he knows you're out of the way. Don't be surprised if he sends out another warning on national television."

"And what do you expect that I should do?"

"Go into hiding," _Stay with me. _

"Keep a low profile." _Stay with me. _

"Bru-um. Bruce Wayne owns my apartment." Keira finished, _holy balls_, she couldn't believe she almost just called Batman Bruce, thank god she caught her tongue. Batman stiffened upon hearing the unrelated comment. _**Shit, she knows.**_

Keira looked away, unable to think of something to say to avoid the silent awkwardness. She turn back to find that she was the only one on the porch. _Oh my lord, that was close._ She took another deep breath and headed back inside the house.

* * *

**Keira glanced up from where she had fallen; she saw black shoes come out of the fire as if it didn't affect him. The man stopped directly in front of her lifeless parents. She could feel the burns on her arms and legs get worse and worse as the fire continued to consume them. Finally, the man looked her way, and began walking towards her- **

"Barbara! Keira!" The two could hear Jim shout on the other side of the floor. They were both sleeping in Barbara's from when she was a kid. Jim began to bang on the door when he didn't get a response.

"We're coming, Dad!" She hid under her pillows and muttered, _Oh my god._

"We have a guest so hurry up and come out."

"Guest my ass, I feel like I'm in high school again."

Keira rolled off the mattress and stretched.

"Who do you think it is?"

"Probably one of Dad's coworkers or something, they were always over."

Keira searched for her clothes to change into but was unable to find them; she was wearing Barbara's old t-shirt and boxers. She mumbled whatever and took her hair out of a bun.

She followed Barbara, who was equally dressed as her, into the living room where they could hear different voices and laughter.

"Yes, well, she is a valued customer of Wayne Enterprises, so we do wish her the best accommodation after this event."

Barbara turned and gave Keira a look at the familiar voice.

"Bruce Wayne?" She mouthed.

The duo entered the living room to find Barbara's parents drinking coffee with Bruce Wayne. Gordon looked them over, and gave Barbara somewhat of a glare.

"How was I supposed to know that we had a _very special_ guest?"

"You would think that two ladies over twenty would be dressed appropriately before noon. And awake by then." Gordon replied looking at the clock. It was 1:30. Keira gave a smug smile and sat on the love seat across from Bruce and the Gordons.

"Keira."

"Bruce." They acknowledged each other with only a nod.

"Good to see you again, however, unfortunately it's under these circumstances." Keira only smiled in response. Barbara raised a brow at her.

"We were just discussing the situation and where you would stay." Jim said, looking at Bruce to discuss the details.

"Yes, there are other Wayne Tower apartment buildings, you may choose wherever. Rent would be free for a year on behalf of Wayne Enterprises."

"That's highly unnecessary."

"Wayne Enterprises always accounts for their customers in these situations.

"So I'm not the only _customer _who's apartment was blown up?

"If you'd like we may discuss it furthermore in a meeting."

"I would love that, actually." Bruce stood up, and started over to Jim and Barb.

"I shall have my secretary be in contact with you to schedule-"

"How about today, now actually?"

Bruce swiftly turned and looked at her with suspicion, but it had only lasted a brief second, instead it turned into a smile.

"I don't believe I have anything scheduled. You prefer it now?" Keira stood and looked at Barbara who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a very amused expression. She was definitely enjoying this.

"Yes, I do."

Bruce and Keira shared a long stare at each other, unsure of the true intentions of what each other possessed. Keira could tell that Bruce was weary although he played it off cocky.

"You may meet me at Wayne Enterprises, if you wish."

"I don't have a car."

Jim was about to step in before Bruce interrupted.

"You may accompany me then. Is that alright?" Keira nodded her head. Bruce turned and shook hands with Barb and Gordon. Barbara scrambled to her feet and pranced over to Keira.

"What was that all about? It was like movie!" Barbara whispered. Keira couldn't help but laugh.

"I have… no idea." She said. Although, she did have quite an idea of what was going on.

"I can't believe he came over just to talk about where you'll be staying. Like don't they usually just have someone call or something?"

"I guess Wayne Enterprises does it differently."

"Or maybe, Wayne himself does it differently just for you…" Barbara smirked.

"Oh my god, you need to stop and realize what you're saying."

"Keira, you just got a personal visit from Bruce Wayne. It doesn't matter _what_ I'm saying."

They both walked over to the front door where Jim, Barb, and Bruce were waiting. Barb was carrying Keira's phone and wallet.

"Here, honey. Call us soon, ok? It was so good to see you again." Barb gave Keira a tight hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"Call us if you need anything." Jim said as he watched Keira follow Bruce to an all-black Rolls Royce. Bruce held the back door open for Keira, but before she slipped in she caught a glimpse of her reflection. _Oh my god, I look like shit._ She was still in boxers and a t- shirt, her hair was a mess and she looked extremely tired. _This is going to be interesting, I'm going to walk into Wayne Enterprises looking like Bruce just rescued me off the streets._

The door slammed shut and Keira placed her head against it wondering if this week could get any worse. She heard the opposite door open and close and the backseat change its weight. Bruce was sitting next to her.

She glanced up to see who was driving, it was an older man with white hair, she couldn't see his face but she could tell he was extremely friendly and for some odd reason she got vibes that he was a sort-of father figure to Bruce. She glanced over to him; he was looking out the window. She couldn't help but admire his sharp features.

She realized that she was in the car with Batman. She was sitting next to Batman. She rubbed her temples.

"Alfred, can you close the hatch?"

"Of course, Master Wayne."

_Master Wayne?_ The window between the driver and passenger slid up, it was an extremely dark tint, almost black.

Bruce faced Keira, he looked very stern and intimidating.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you found out." He began. Keira was at loss for words. He looked at her with a hard stare.

"It wasn't hard, if that's what you mean."

"How long have you known?"

"Ever since I met you, at the Black Tie Affair at Wayne Tower." He nodded. He knew exactly what she was referring to. He remembered perfectly.

"You have nothing to worry about, not like I'm going to tell everyone I know."

"I'm not worried about that, Joker will eventually find out and target you."

"Not like he isn't already."

"But this time he'll really want to take you out, you know who the Batman is, he doesn't, and that's what he desperately wants. He'll be much more dangerous."

"I know. I'm going to help you. It's going to take a great deal taking the Joker down, and you're going to need my help."

"I can't put anybody at risk, certainly not you." _What does that mean?_

"You're putting _everybody_ at risk if you don't let me help you, I'm doing it whether you like it or not."

"Batman doesn't need help."

"Really? Let's see what happens when he tests _Batman's_ limits, you know he's going to do so. What happens when he strikes a nerve, something close to home? Are you going to act out of anger? He's unpredictable and you're human. _Batman_ is human, humans are rash. He will try his hardest to make _you _unpredictable and to go against everything Batman has stood for. You won't be able to do it alone and you know it."

Bruce didn't respond, he was in deep thought. He knew she was right, every word that came out of her pretty lips was inevitable correct. He knew he couldn't do it alone, he needed her. But that was against what he had ever wanted to do, he didn't want to threaten a life so that they could help him, he most definitely didn't want to risk her life, even if she persisted.

Ten minutes had passed when Bruce finally tapped on the black glass. Alfred rolled down the window.

"Take us home."

* * *

The manor was beautiful, it was magnificent. It reminded Keira so much of her parents' mansion.

"Ms. Keira, would you like any refreshments?" Alfred asked as they entered further into the manor.

"No thank you, Alfred."

"Alfred, can you prepare Keira a room? She will be staying here."

"Certainly." Keira could tell Alfred was happy about that, his aura became much more pleasant, more than it was before.

Alfred disappeared upstairs, leaving Bruce and Keira.

"I am?" She asked, she was a bit humored by the situation. Bruce turned with a brow raised; he took off his coat and continued into the library.

"You do want to stay alive, right?" He asked with a bit of a smile. _So, he's trying to be funny now._

Bruce messed with a grandfather clock as Keira looked around the large library. Rows and rows of books, she had always wanted her own library. She wasn't paying any attention to what Bruce was doing until she heard something move and saw that Bruce was walking down a small corridor that was behind the large clock.

_Nifty…_

Keira followed Bruce down into a large cave, in the center was a large computer and surrounding it were suits and vehicles. Immediately, a sleek black motorcycle caught her eye.

"Batcave?" She asked humor evident in her voice.

"I guess you could call it that."

Bruce sat in front of the supercomputer and began typing. Keira looked at the numerous suits.

"Here's the Joker file."

"Better than what the cops have?"

"What do you think?"

Keira read it thoroughly. Indeed, it had a lot more information, more detail, but it didn't help with predicting his next move.

"Wait, have you checked out the reservoir?"

"I am tonight, last night became a distraction."

"This info doesn't help much. It leads to pretty much the same thing, nothing is new. Do we have any idea who he is?"

"No, but when he first made his appearance, he talked about his scars and his wife."

"His scars were his own doing, I can tell you that much. But, his story may not be true, his mind creates stories that appeal to him, he finds them as excuses as to why he is the way he is, he may not had even had a wife."

"I'll find something tonight." Keira nodded in approval, she skimmed over the Joker's file one last time.

"Do you understand what you're getting yourself into?" Bruce continued, his eyes never left the screen.

"Yes, I do. You shouldn't worry, I can handle myself. It's my job."

"It's not about handling _you_; it's about handling the Joker and whoever is working with him."

"Working with him?"

Bruce typed on the computer and pulled up another file. It was a list of attacks Joker had made. A very, _very _long list of attacks all within a few months' time.

"Someone is behind the scenes. One man cannot accomplish all this in a matter of a few months, especially him. I have my doubts, but it's possible someone had hired him. It's too much power for the Joker to possess; he was able to get thugs and the mafia on his side in approximately two months. "

Keira couldn't have agreed more. She was very suspicious when she first read the Joker file, but who would hire a madman? Whether or not Joker was the puppet or the puppeteer, they were getting to the bottom of this.

* * *

Keira watched Alfred prepare four cheese lasagna. The oven beeped and Alfred pulled out a perfect loaf of bread. She was starving.

"Dinner is served." Alfred stated in his British accent. He placed a white plate with a square of lasagna and a few pieces of bread in front of Keira.

"Thank you so much, this looks delicious."

"Nonsense, my dear. It is beyond delicious." He said with a wink, Alfred returned to the kitchen leaving Keira by herself in the large dining room area.

Bruce was in the Batcave, just about to get his suit on. He knew he should eat dinner with Keira and Alfred; Alfred will certainly scold him if he doesn't. He glanced at his watch; he still had an hour till he had to go on patrol. Bruce began walking to the stairs; he supposed he could eat for a little bit before he had to go. Bruce wore what he normally would under the batsuit, a black long sleeve Nike compression shirt and pants. He pulled on sweatpants before heading upstairs.

Bruce could hear laughter as he neared the dining room, Alfred was telling another story about him. _He always does this._ Bruce thought. Keira was sitting at the head of the table, normally Bruce's spot, with Alfred next to her and Bruce's plate on the other. He silently joined them. He noticed that all the bread was gone except for two cold pieces on his plate. _Dammit._

"Master Bruce, how nice of you to join us." Alfred said. Bruce looked between Alfred and Keira, she was silently eating her lasagna. From what Bruce could tell that had to be her second or third helping.

"Well, we do have a guest, Alfred. I'm not all that rude."

"_Not all that rude._ Well that's a thought, isn't it Keira?"Bruce wondered what Alfred was doing. That Englishman had many tricks up his sleeve, especially when it came to women that Alfred found suitable for Bruce. Keira looked at Alfred then Bruce, unsure of what to say. She grinned then took another huge bite. Bruce couldn't help but smile back. He finally began to eat his dinner.

"Keira and I were talking about college earlier." Alfred said as he scooped Keira ice cream.

"We were actually debating about which college sport is better. I won." She said with a devilish smile.

"What sports?" Bruce asked, he looked at the clock in the dining room, 8:26, about half an hour till he needed to leave for patrol.

"Volleyball and soccer."

"Ah, its football. Soccer is _football. _American football stole the name." Alfred stated, he took his seat next to Keira and began eating his ice cream

"Volleyball and _football._"

"How does volleyball top football?" Bruce asked with amusement.

"My thoughts exactly." Alfred said with a mock glare to Keira.

"Spandex, who doesn't like seeing girls play a sport in spandex?" She said with dignity as she pointed mindlessly with her fork. Bruce just shook his head. He would rather just like to see Keira in spandex.

* * *

Bruce did his normal patrol around Gotham, he made it quick so he would have more time to check out the Reservoir.

He watched the men outside the reservoir from the Botanical Gardens. He needed to find a way in without being seen. Tonight wasn't about taking down the Joker; it was about discovering what he was planning.

Bruce found a nearby drain that lead under the reservoir. He silently flew down, making sure the thugs outside didn't see or hear him. Bruce lifted the drain and jumped down. His boots landed in the murky waters. Bruce looked both ways in the tunnel, he wasn't sure which was to go. He began to pull out a small computer-like device to search for a map of the underground drains.

"You want to go left." A familiar voice said, he looked around, alarmed. Then realized he heard her from his headpiece.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked his voice a little more gruff than usual. He trudged forward in the dark tunnel, going left.

"Just helping like I said I was going to." _**How am I going to be able to think when she's in my head? **_He shook his head and continued in silence.

"Where am I going?" He asked. He had been walking for nearly ten minutes in the same direction. He felt as if this was going nowhere.

"Deeper under the reservoir, you'll hit a small stairwell to your left soon in about a minute. Go down those and then go right."

"Where are these heading?"

"To one large drain, it goes on for miles, but where they converge is supposedly a station, that's where I believe Joker is. It been deserted for years."

"How do you know this?" Bruce saw the stairwell; it had been eroded by the water and seemed very unstable. He stepped very carefully and could feel the metal bars shake under his weight.

"I do my research."

They continued through the large tunnels in silence, Keira occasionally giving Bruce directions.

"On the left side of the tunnel is a drain, do you see it?"

"Yeah."

"On the other side is the station. There are multiple walkways and stairs so I think you'll be able to make it through unnoticed."

"Are you looking at a map right now?"

"Yes."

"How many levels does the station have?"

"Three, the third is the command center. Joker will probably be there, look out for cameras."

Bruce silently opened the door just an inch and peered around. Joker was there alright. Thugs were on the opposite side of the station. He looked up at the third floor; through the windows he could see two people, one with distinctive pigtails and the second with green hair.

"Are you seeing this?"

"Yes."

Bruce looked for cameras and slipped through the doors. All he found were cameras on the station, not on the walkways. He silently grappled to the walkway above him. He could clearly see Joker and Harley Quinn in the command room.

"Bruce, if you could get a feed on what Joker and Har-"

"I know." Bruce slipped his hand into his belt and pulled out a tiny receiver. He tossed it with expert precision near the window nearest Joker.

"Harley! Tell those idiots to test the water." Immediately, Bruce and Keira could hear the Joker's distinctive voice command Harley.

"Sure thing Mistah J.! Anything you want!"

Within a few seconds, Bruce could hear Harley over the intercom.

"Alright, you buffoons standing on the station doing NOTHING, test the water! We need it perfect for the boss!"Bruce watched the thugs scramble to test the water.

"The boss?" Keira asked. Bruce ignored her and continued to listen to Harley.

"Mistah J…. What are they testing for?"Bruce watched as Harley sat on Joker's lap.

"Well, Harley, it needs to be a certain temperature. Don't ask me why, but that's what the head honcho said." Harley began playing Joker's hair, Bruce turned away, not wanting to see anything else that Joker and Harley were going to do. "I don't think we'll be getting anything else from them." He said, he crept back into the tunnel**. **

"Their _boss_ seems to have kept them in the dark. Smart." Keira said. She watched the large monitor in the Batcave from Bruce's perspective as he came back the way he came, towards the surface.

"Something was up with Joker, from audios and videos that I've seen of him, he sounded different, his voice. He was afraid of something or someone. I think their boss is powerful. Harley didn't have a single clue." Keira said. Bruce heard shuffling of papers from the other line.

"I agree, Joker doesn't usually work under someone, this figure seems to have taken a toll on him… I'm finishing up patrol now. I suggest you get some rest. These past days have been hectic for you."

"I can handle myself."

"The next few days will be even mor-"

"I can handle myself. I don't need anybody else telling me what I can and cannot do, I've been hearing that for my whole life. I especially don't need it from you." Bruce was silent at that. He was finally out of the drain system and on the streets.

"I'm getting off." Keira said, her voice sounded strained. Bruce heard the final click that signaled the line was broken. He exhaled a large breath. He knew how she felt, what she was going through. She had lost everything, again. He did, too. But he still had a home and someone who he considered family.

Again, it was a quiet night, only a few robberies and muggings, hardly anything for the Batman. Bruce stayed out longer than he planned on. He was still out in Gotham when he saw the first few rays of the sunrise.

He wondered what he was doing, what he was going to do. Joker was his next challenge and Keira was there to help him through it, he couldn't help his feelings towards her. She was beautiful and they shared something that no one else could. He was comfortable around her, more than he had ever been with anyone not to mention how fast their relationship progressed. She was a complete mystery to him; he wanted to know everything about her. How her foster homes were, how high school was, college, sports, her views on politics, every little thing. Whenever she was even remotely around him he would lose focus.

Bruce wondered if Keira was the one he would settle down with after Batman, the one he would come home to, the one who he would actually start a family with. He shook those thoughts out of his, he was Batman now, and would be until he knew Gotham was safe.

* * *

"Late night out, Master Bruce?" Alfred pulled back the dark curtains and sunlight infiltrated the dark knight's bedroom. Bruce stirred in his sleep; he pulled the covers over his head. Alfred moved over to the side of the bed and placed a tray of orange juice and eggs, bacon, and ham on the nightstand.

"You do have a meeting today with the board members."

"At two." Bruce mumbled from under the covers.

"It is one o'clock. I suggest you get ready, traffic to the city is quite terrible at this moment." Alfred left the room. Bruce pulled back the sheets and groaned.

Keira looked at all of her new clothes in her new walk-in closet. It wasn't just a walk-in closet, it was another room, it was bigger than one of her old rooms as a child. Alfred had accompanied her in the morning to do some shopping in the city after they both realized Bruce would not be getting up anytime soon.

She had almost filled half of her large closet and beamed as her eyes roamed over her new shoe collection. Most of them were insanely high heels in wild colors, perfect for every occasion.

"Miss. Keira." Alfred called; she walked back into her main room and saw Alfred holding another set of her clothes.

"Thank you, Alfred!" He followed her into her closet and helped her put the clothes up.

"I believe that was the last of them."

"I must say that today was a very successful day."

"And the day is still young, Miss. Keira. Master Bruce has a meeting today at two, you may join us in the city if you like." The two exited Keira's room and headed for the kitchen, where they normally would talk.

"I do want to visit the station and see Gordon; I'll call Barbara and ask if she would like to meet for lunch!"

"Certainly, I'll prepare the car." Keira watched Alfred leave the kitchen. She leaned against the bar and rested her hand on her palm. She heard footsteps approaching the kitchen and turned just in time to see Bruce enter in a black suit.

"You look nice." Keira sat on a barstool and watched Bruce drink from the orange juice carton. She could see the outline of his muscles just from lifting up the orange juice to his mouth. He wiped his mouth with his palm and put the orange juice back in the fridge. He walked over to the counter and reached for a banana.

"I'm going with you to the city." She said, toying with an empty glass in front of her. Bruce stopped in his tracks. Bruce gave her a suspicious look.

"You're going to the city?"

"Yes, it would be my second time today. I'm going to meet Barbara for lunch."

"That's dangerous. Joker could have seen you, Joker might see you if you go out. I don't think it's best if you go out again today."

"Excuse me?" Keira gave him an icy look; Bruce gave her a cold stare back. _Who the hell does he think he is?_

"_I said _its dangerous going out to the city; it will risk your life and others around you, not to mention it will be the _second _time today."

"And _I_ say that I can do whatever _I_ please." Bruce raised a brow at her. She knew he was just watching out for her, but she couldn't stay cooped up in Wayne manor away from her friends.

"I'm going to see Gordon, the station is the safest place in Gotham." She continued.

"Besides here."

"I'll have Barbara meet me at the station, and we can walk _together_ to lunch."

"Where are you eating?"

"I don't know. Bruce, I need to see them, they're the two people who I can't live without. And I know it's only been a day since I've seen them, but-"

"It's fine. You can go, I'm sorry if I was being demanding. It's not my place." Bruce left the kitchen in only a few strides. Keira was flabbergasted at Bruce's random withdrawal from the argument. She sat shocked on the barstool for a few more minutes before she muttered '_men_' and called Barbara.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guy! Sorry it's been so long! I just realized that I messed up the order of chapter... So the beginning of this one may seem familiar bu the rest of the chapter is completely new!:)

* * *

Keira and Barbara were eating at the café in Gotham Square, it was near the station and where Bruce was having his meeting. Keira hadn't told Barbara that she was staying with Bruce Wayne, yet. She was avoiding the subject, unsure of how it would go.

"Barb, don't overreact, I know you will anyway, but I'm living with Bruce Wayne." Keira whispered the last part, not wanting anyone to overhear. She played with the leftover food on her plate as she waited for Barbara's reaction. She got scared when Barbara remained quiet. She looked at her with wide eyes.

"No response?"

Barbara answered Keira's question with a very sly smile.

"You dirty girl, you!" Barbara laughed. "How did you think I would react? When he walked into _my _house just to discuss where you would be living was obvious, even _my _mom could tell!" Keira looked at her with confused eyes.

"Tell what?"

"That there is something going on between you two! I personally think he has the hots for you." Keira rolled her eyes.

"You're crazy, like before it was just a theory, but now, you've definitely proved that you are."

"Hey, I only see what's right in front of me. And as I recall, wasn't _I_ always the one who got the guys in high school while you stood there not believing that they all wanted you?!"

"They didn't want me!" Barbara gave her an incredulous look.

"You are wack. There's something going on between you two, I can feel it." She waved her hands around to emphasize that she could 'feel it'.

"Whatever." Keira mumbled before she took a sip of her drink. Barbara gave her a knowing look. Keira checked her watch, 3:26. Bruce's meeting would just be finishing, meaning it was time to head back to the station to meet them there. Keira had wanted to see Gordon earlier, but Barbara told her that he had to go to court to watch a case.

The two young ladies paid for their meals and walked back to the station. Today, Gotham was colder than usual for late January. Keira buried her hands deeper into her trench coat's pockets, wishing she had worn gloves.

"How are you, I mean, like seriously, though." Barbara asked. Seriousness evident in her voice. Keira looked around the streets looking for an answer.

"I'm… good. I've been snapping lately on Bruce, though. I feel bad. Especially, with the eleventh coming up. I don't know how I'm going to handle it." Keira referred to the day of her parent's death, February 11th. It was less than two weeks away. She glanced over at Barbara with a weak smile.

"I'm here for you, we all are. I'm sure Bruce is, too. He knows how it is." Keira nodded, unsure. They hooked arms and continued to the station.

As they neared, they could see a black Rolls Royce waiting outside the station. Keira exhaled a big breath. Bruce was leaning against the car with his arms crossed. _God, he's so hot._ Keira heard Barbara laugh.

"What?" She looked at her friend, Barbara was cracking up.

"Oh, nothing. Just never pictured us in this situation, Bruce Wayne waiting for you all dressed up in a suit leaning against his Bentley as if this was an everyday occurrence." Keira rolled her eyes but couldn't help but laugh. It's true; she never would have guessed she would be in this position.

Bruce heard Keira's laugh and looked to his right. There she was, with her arm hooked with Barbara Gordon. The two were laughing. _**She looks even more stunning when she laughs. **_He subconsciously straightened his back. Keira and Bruce shared eye contact as she neared him.

"Bruce." She said with a slight giggle, he liked the way she said his name like that. Given, that the giggle was from her remaining laughter with Barbara. He gave her a small smile and nod.

"Hello, Miss. Gordon." He said.

"Mr. Wayne." Bruce returned his attention to Keira. Barbara watched the interaction between the two.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Just about. Barb, do you need a ride?"

"No that's alright, I'll just catch one with my dad, he should be finishing up soon. I can just hang at the station, it's been a while since I've visited." Keira nodded and hugged her friend.

"Tell your dad to call me a.s.a.p.! I have lots to tell him." Barbara knew what Keira was referring to, shehad told her at lunch.

"Sure thing!" Barbara climbed the stairs of the station and before entering, waved to Bruce and Keira.

Bruce opened the backdoor for Keira then went over to his side and slid in. Alfred and Keira said hello Alfred started the car.

"How was the meeting?" Keira asked. She was eager to make some sort of conversation. They were stuck in traffic as usual, it was rush hour in Gotham.

"Sucked, I fell asleep." Keira chuckled. She bet the board members loved that. She noticed that Bruce had slight bags under his eyes, no doubt he was tired. She knew that he had stayed out late last night and had been doing research on the Joker when he wasn't on patrol.

"How was lunch?" Bruce asked. She could tell that he seemed truly interested.

"Great, actually. You know, you are such a hypocrite." Bruce seemed to have perked up at this and gave her a confused look. She heard Alfred give a small chuckle from the front seat.

"How is that?"

"Earlier, you said that coming to the city would be not only dangerous for me, but also for the people surrounding me. And yet, you, Bruce Wayne, stand outside of your car, in the freezing cold, in front of the police station, waiting for me. I'm sure that everyone on the block took notice."

Bruce realized that what she was saying was entirely true and that he had to be careful, too. But he couldn't help the smug smile that appeared on his lips with the thought that she had noticed that he had been waiting for her.

"Sorry for being a gentleman then."

"You should be, risking _my_ life like that… I appreciate it though." Keira joked. Bruce smiled and looked out the window, they were in stand still traffic, and it would take a while to get to the manor. They sat in a comfortable silence.

"I did more research on Joker last night." Keira broke the silence. She turned towards Bruce. And briefly took in his stunning features before he looked at her. "Well, it was more so research on who could have hired him. At first I thought that it could be the mafia since Joker got close with them real fast but if it was the mafia it wouldn't make sense. Why would the mafia want something to do with the piping? It just didn't match their MO. Then I researched nationally and came up with nothing. No one seems to have the right MO for hiring Joker to deal with the reservoir. That's as far as I got."

"Someone who has a lot of power and knows what they're doing. I'm going back tonight. I need to find out what Joker is planning."

"_We _need to find out what Joker is planning. Bruce I told you, I'm helping you with this. It _is_ my job." Bruce gave her a look. He knew that no matter what he said or did Keira would continue to help him. In that sense, she was like him. She was extremely stubborn and persistent when it came to situations like this.

"I know." He grumbled. Keira rolled her eyes and looked out the window. They were finally moving, although it was only at 15 miles an hour on the high way. She wondered what the cause of such terrible traffic was.

Keira followed Bruce into the Batcave. She watched from behind as Bruce entered data into the supercomputer. She had a bad feeling about tonight. She debated whether or not to tell Bruce.

"What's your plan?" She asked. She rested her arm against the back of the chair and peered down at Bruce. He was fully dressed with his cowl resting on the base of his neck. He

"I'm going to infiltrate the station like before, take down the thugs and hopefully get some information out of them."

"Don't you think that you taking down Joker and his men will make our mystery guy in charge take a different approach?" Keira interrupted. She could see all the devastating ways tonight could lead to. Bruce swiveled around, taking Keira off guard. She nearly fell on top of him.

"What would you have me do then?" He asked. She instantly could tell that he was upset at how she was changing his usual course of action. He wasn't used to a second opinion besides Alfred's, which was rare. She took a deep breath before

"Continue to spy and gain more info without alarming them. We gained so much just from last night. We can only learn more tonight." She said. She hoped that she persuaded Bruce. She bit her lip as his eyes turned dark, his expression was unreadable but she knew that he didn't like having someone telling him what to do. He _is_ the Batman. He turned around in the chair and continued to type into the computer.

Keira sighed, admitting defeat. Bruce had his own method of doing things and she needed to respect that. She turned away from him and started taking steps to the stairs out of the cave.

"I'll only spy tonight. You have a bad feeling about it, don't you?" Keira stopped in her tracks. Bruce was doing something out of his normal regime, for her. Keira slowly faced Bruce and nodded. She was extremely nervous about tonight.

"Yes. I don't know why, but something is going to happen tonight, and I think for the worse." Bruce looked away. He couldn't think of what to do, he was having the same doubting feelings as Keira and he had never gotten them before.

"I have a bad feeling about tonight, too." He says. Bruce's voice is eerily casual. Keira observes him, wondering what he's up to. Once again, he faces the computer and begins typing.

"What are you doing?" She leans over Bruce's shoulder in an attempt to see what he's typing but he moves to block her vision.

Randomly, he stops typing and swivels around to look at Keira. He stands and walks toward a podium that holds some sort of technology.

"You'll be working at the police station with Gordon. These communicators do the same as the ones here." He hands her an ear bud and small bulky tablet. "This device creates touch-screen projections identical to the computer. You can use this to look up the maps for the reservoir and the feed for the camera."

"Why am I working at the station?" She followed Bruce to the car and took a seat after realizing that they were leaving immediately. _What's the rush?_

"Safest place besides the Manor." Bruce mutters. He pulls his cowl over his head and starts the jet-like car. They speed down into the Gotham night.

"No one will be at the station at this hour." It was two in the morning. What was Bruce thinking?

"Gordon will be and that's all you need." Keira wrapped her arms around the tablet and sunk into the leather seats. She rested her forehead against the cool glass and gazed out the window at the blurs of Gotham city light.

"Keira. Is everything ok?" Gordon breathed. He startled Keira. She slightly jumped before spinning around to Gordon. He looked extremely tired and worn. She felt bad for making him come out to the station at two in the morning.

"Yeah, well, not really. Batman and I have discovered plenty of new data that I will inform you of. But more importantly, Batman is spying on Joker tonight and I just had a bad feeling about it so that's why I am here." Gordon nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

"Alright, come. We'll work in my office. I suppose Batman is already out?" Keira nodded. She desperately hoped that he would be alright.

Keira had finished telling Gordon the new information. She sat at his desk preparing the tablet and ear piece for use.

"Someone hired Joker? No man with a clear conscious would hire that madman." Gordon paced around his desk. He paid no attention to what Keira was doing with the tablet.

"Batman? Batman. Batman, this is Keira." The transmission was static, Keira could barely hear herself. The static suddenly cleared and she heard the familiar voice of Bruce. It somehow soothed her to hear his voice.

"Keira, I'm here. I just got to the door of the walkways across from the reservoir station."

Keira pressed a button that read **Cowl Transmission**. On the main screen projected from the tablet was the camera on the front of Bruce's cowl. Gordon peered over Keira's shoulder. He was in awe of the technology before him.

"Alright, you're good to go. Look out for cameras."

Keira watched from her screen as Bruce made his way into the reservoir walkways. The underground station was dark and water dripped from the ceiling. Bruce kept moving higher and the view of the station grew. Soon, Keira could easily see the third floor.

The third floor was empty. The usual thugs were scattered around the docks of the station. Joker and Harley were nowhere in sight.

"What do you think I should do?" Batman whispered. His voice gruff and hoarse. Keira sat back in her chair. Gordon took a sip of his coffee. _He always has coffee._

"What's happened?" Gordon asked. His eyes were suddenly alert and he began walking over to Keira.

"Nothing, nothing yet. We're just trying to figure out what to do." Gordon paused and gave her a curious look.

"Wait. If Joker and Harley don't show up then see if any of the thugs are talking. Besides that, do not let them know you're here." Keira told Batman. Her voice was full with authority. She faintly heard Batman mumble something but she couldn't make it out.

"When did you and the Batman become so close?" Gordon asked. He now sat in a chair opposite of Keira.

_Oh no._ She knew Gordon would eventually ask why she had arrived with Batman and why they were already so close considering they only met last week. Keira wondered how her and Bruce became so close and why. They barely had anything in common that she knew of. But she did like the company, especially Alfred. She couldn't believe she was living with him.

There was just something about Bruce. She was effortlessly drawn to him. He was a puzzle to her. She couldn't understand him like she can with anyone else. He was guarded, he protected his emotions. This intrigued her even more.

"We've been working a lot together. We've found some pretty important stuff. I still have to inform you of it." Keira looked one last time at the screen before facing Gordon, Bruce had moved to a different position on the walkways. She turned to Gordon.

"After I found out where Joker was really planning his next attack, Batman checked out the reservoir last night. We confirmed that Joker and Harley were working there, also that they're working _for_ someone. I've looked up the biggest names nationally, but none of them seem to match up for hiring Joker."

"Yes, only a madman would hire a madman." Gordon confirmed.

"I can almost guarantee that whoever hired them has lots of p-"

"Keira!" At the sound of his voice, Keira stopped and looked back onto the screen. Bruce was looking into the third floor from his same spot, except someone was in there now.

"I'm here, I'm watching."

"I'm going closer so we can hear."

"But, Br- Batman, who's in there?" _Shit, that was close._

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

She watched as Bruce swooped down to a closer and lower walkway, he was so close to the window of the command center.

They both stared at the command center window. There were three people in the room. Keira and Bruce could make out the figures of Harley and Joker but not of the extremely tall, lanky man. He had his greying hair gelled back and was in a crisp black suit. His hands were behind his back, holding some sort of cane.

"The boss?" Keira asked. Bruce made a noise as confirmation.

"How are things, Joker?" The tall man asked. His voice had a slight European accent. Keira couldn't place where it was from. The man walked over to the man window and looked around at the lower floors and the thugs.

"Pretty good, boss. My boys are already made the water the right temperature and they've been doing that since we got here." Joker's voice turned sweet then bitter. The man continued to look out the window. He glanced at Batman's position. _Does he know Bruce is there? _

"All in good time will my plan begin to unravel."

"Batman, he looked at you. Does he know you're there?" Keira asked, her voice was slightly panicked.

"No. I'm not that close and I blend into the darkness too well." Keira couldn't help but scoff at that. He _is_ darkness, he's a bat for Christ's sake. Keira hunched over the tablet. She tried to make out the appearance of the man. He had grey eyes, a go-tee and looked old, but also young at the same time.

Keira read that the man was calm, he felt that he had full control in this situation. Power radiated off of him. For some reason, it put Keira off, it was familiar to her.

"Anyway, I think you have a pest on your hands, Joker." The man turned to fully face Batman.

"Batman…" Keira slowly drawled out. Bruce stiffened as the man continued to stare at him.

"A pest? Batman?" Harley asked. Her voice turned chipper at the mention of his name. _**How can he have seen me?**_

Batman quickly and effortlessly took out his grapple gun and swung through the glass of the command room. He did a swift yet strong kick to Harley. She flew back against the wall. Bruce turned and looked for Joker. He caught a glimpse of purple coat running through the door. _**Always running away from a fight.**_

"You must be the infamous Batman." The man said. His voice was cool and smooth, his accent showing. "I've heard much about you. The _savior_ of Gotham." He continued. The man circled Batman, his hands still behind his back.

Keira stood from her chair and began pacing. _Why does this man seem so familiar?_ She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. The suit, the voice was all so familiar to her. _No, the suit, the voice, the __**shoes**__._ _It cant be. Not the man from the fire. _

Keira fell into her chair and ordered Bruce to look at his shoes. Reluctantly, he tilted his head down. The shoes were the same, black with a strange dragon symbol stamped onto the leather. _Holy fuck, it's him._

"Batman, it's the man from the fire, the guy in my dream." Keira panicked. Her voice was high and fast. Bruce made no sign of response. She didn't expect him to say anything, but a slight shake of the head would suffice.

The man stopped circling Bruce. He paused and checked his watch.

"Batman, I'm afraid I must go. Most hopefully we will continue this another time." The man smiled.

Suddenly, he disappeared. A soft grey cloud hovered where the man once stood. Bruce looked around the room. He caught sight of Harley trying to sneak out the door like Joker had. Batman quickly leapt in front of her and grabbed her, he pushed her against the wall.

"Talk, Harley!" Batman growled. His patience was up. Harley's panicked blue eyes stared back at Bruce.

"For starters, I need to get out of here! There's a bomb blowing the whole place up!" She shrieked. Bruce let her go and watched her scamper out the door. He grappled to the walkway where he entered.

"You need to get out of there." Keira's voice rang through his head.

"I know." He grumbled back.

Bruce reached for the door handle. It wouldn't budge. He kicked the handle, normally the door would pop open but it stayed shut.

He ran to another door. The bomb would go off soon and he was still on the walkways. The door wouldn't open either.

"Exploding gel." Keira said. Her voice was calm, he could hear her taking deep breaths. She was trying to calm herself.

Bruce quickly painted the gel onto the door handle then backed a few feet away. He pressed the detonator and the door sprang open. In perfect timing, Bruce ran into the tunnels just as the bomb exploded. The heat scorched the back of his suit.

"Are you okay?" Keira asked. Bruce could sense how concerned she was. Bruce stopped running. He was out of breath and was slightly burned from the explosion.

"I'm fine." He muttered.

He walked back to the station. He hoped that the explosion didn't ruin his chances of finding some evidence, but he knew that he wouldn't find any evidence. Bruce stepped onto the one of the only still standing walkways. The others were broken off in the water below. The station was completely gone. Remnants of the building lay in the reservoir water below. He would find nothing here. Joker mad sure to destroy all evidence of the plan.

"I'm coming back." Bruce said. Keira relaxed in her chair. _It wasn't as bad as it could have been._ She was still shaken by the man from the fire.

"I'll be at the cave." She whispered. She gazed at Gordon, making sure he couldn't hear her. She couldn't tell him that she was staying with Bruce Wayne, not yet at least. She hoped that Barbara didn't mention anything.

Keira closed the tablet and removed the ear piece before Bruce could reply. She walked over to Gordon. He was sitting at a desk, drinking his coffee.

"Pretty rough, eh?" He joked.

"Naw, nothing I can't handle." Keira said with a smile. "I'm gonna head home. You should too, you look tired." Gordon glanced at his watch.

"Well, it is four in the morning." He stood and walked with Keira downstairs.

"Call me if anything else happens. Be safe, and where are you staying now? Did Wayne fix you up with an apartment?" Keira smirked. Gordon held the door open for her.

"Yeah, it's nice, pretty big. It's on the west wide, by the water." She lied. Gordon smiled.

"You need a ride?"

"No, I like to walk." She smiled. Gordon shook his head but walked to his car. Keira passed the alley where Bruce had parked the thruster. It was still there. She wondered how Bruce got to the reservoir so fast without it.

Keira knocked on the large manor door. It was past five. It had taken an hour to walk from the police station. She hoped Bruce wouldn't be upset with her for not getting home earlier; it was planned that she would wait for Bruce at the police station. She needed the time to think about the man that was in the fire from when she was younger, he _was_ the one who killed her parents.

"Miss. Keira! Master Bruce and I have been worrying about you!" He quickly ushered Keira in. He frowned at how poorly dressed she was for the cold weather.

"I shall fix you some hot chocolate. Master Bruce is waiting in the cave." She watched Alfred gracefully walk into the kitchen. She stood in the living room. Keira placed the tablet and ear piece on the large ottoman before walking to the Batcave.

Keira silently entered the Batcave. She stood at the desk next to Bruce and looked over the files on Joker.

"You knew the man." Bruce said. His eyes never leaving the computer screen. Keira looked at him.

"Yes, he killed my parents in the fire. I never saw his face but I remember him." He nodded. Then relaxed in his chair.

Around his chin he had small burns and cuts. His cowl was completely off.

"He's Ra's Al Ghul. Leader of the League of Assassins. He's lived for centuries, he baths in the Lazarus Pit. It rejuvenates him, anybody that goes in there becomes mad for a small period. He's been in there so many times he's completely insane." Bruce faces Keira. "You say he killed your parents?"

"Yes. I want to know why."

"I do too. I want to know why he has a sudden interest in Gotham. Do you remember anything about him?"

"No, my parents never spoke of him. I had no idea who he was at the time. My parents were ambassadors, they've met many foreign people. Where does he reside?"

"Somewhere along the Himalayas. There is no exact location."

Vengeance began to boil in Keira. She wanted to know why this man killed her parents. He should know how much devastation it brought to her life. Bruce pulled up his file on the computer.

"Keira, we will find out why, but on good terms."

"Good terms, Bruce? What does that even mean? Ra's killed my parents for no reason. I'm determined to find out why no matter the cost. He deserves to die."

"Be rash, Keira. Thinking like this will bring more harm the-"

"Bruce, you should know what I'm feeling. You're at peace, as much as you can be considering, but I'm not. The opportunity is presenting itself and I'm taking it." Bruce stands and a look of determination crosses his face. Bruce stares down at Keira with cold eyes.

He does know how it feels. But he knows the outcome, she won't find peace, it will only be worse if anything. Revenge doesn't solve all problems.

"It won't do anything. Finding him, discovering why he did it. You'll still have nightmares. You won't find peace. I never did." His voice strikes a nerve in Keira. He's telling the truth, she can sense it. She takes a deep breath and sighs.

She knows he's right. She breaks their glare. Keira backs away from Bruce and looks around the Batcave. The dark cavernous ceilings are suddenly intimidating. She never realized how dark and scary it was in here.

"Keira." Bruce calls. His voice is full of concern and sympathy. He takes cautious steps toward her.

Bruce is unsure of what Kiera is feeling. He doesn't know if she is stable. _**Of course she isn't stable, she just saw the guy who killed her parents, Bruce,**_ His subconscious scolds him.

"What's our next step? We need to act fast." Keira says. She suddenly doesn't look vulnerably anymore. She brushes past Bruce and takes a seat in front of the computer. She begins typing furiously on the computer. Bruce takes a deep breath. He shakes his head and looks at what Keira is typing. She pulls up an image on the monitor.

It's a map of the pipes under the reservoir and where they lead.

"Obviously, Ra's had a plan with the water system. We just need to find out exactly what it is. These are the maps of where the pipes go to, I was thinking that he could possibly targeting someone." Keira gazes up at Bruce. Her eyes clouded with determination and something Bruce was familiar with, guilt. He narrowed her eyes at her.

"Keira." He began.

"Maybe the mayor, or even the owners of international companies. Then I was think-"

"Keira." Bruce repeated. She wasn't looking at him. She was staring at the screen, away from his eyes.

"Thinking that you could be a possible target since you own Wayne Industries, but that doesn't make sense since you aren't a threat. But may-"

"Keira!" Bruce grabbed the back of the chair and swung it around so Keira was facing him. His eyes immediately softened at the sight of Keira blinking back tears. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her. She buried her head in the crook of his neck. Bruce held her tight as sobs began to escape from her lips.

"I- I- I don't know what's come over me, Bruce." She took a large breath. Keira lifted her head and her eyes found Bruce's. "I never am so emotional. I never act like this. This shouldn't be affecting me this much." She says through gasps.

Bruce gently lays her back down on the chair. He kneels in front of her. He places two fingers on the inside of her wrist. _**Shit, her pulse is racing. At this rate she could die of exhaustion.**_

"Keira, you're right. Something has happened to you. Your pulse is extremely fast. How do you feel?"

"Like I'm going to pass out." Keira's eyes suddenly glaze over. Her lids grow heavy. Her breathing increases even more. Bruce sweeps her up and quickly carries her to a metal examining table. Keira's eyes begin to repeatedly close. It's hard for her to stay awake even though she's hyperventilating.

"Keira, what have you eaten in the past few hours?" Bruce demanded. He checked her pulse again. It increased so much in only a minute or two.

"Nothing. Only what Alfred gave me." Bruce paused. Alfred cooked grilled chicken tonight, it couldn't be that.

"What did you drink, Keira?" Bruce's voice becomes panicked as he checks Keira's pulse for the third time. It's past even the highest for a human. _**Fuck!**_

Bruce frantically looks around for something he can do to help her. In a few minutes she could be dead. He shouts for Alfred. He stares back at Keira, waiting for her reply.

"Keira! What the hell did you drink?!" It could be the only thing. She didn't come in contact with anyone in the past hours.

"Gordon got me water." She whispers.

"Water from where?!" _**Water! It must be what Ra's was planning!**_

"The machine at the police station." Keira mumbles. _**Where the fuck is Alfred?**_

"Master Bruce?" Alfred states. His voice is alarmed at the sight of Keira on the examining table. Bruce turns. _**Bout time he got here.**_

"Alfred, keep checking Keira's pulse." Bruce quickly walks to another table.

Alfred holds Keira's hand as he checks her pulse. His eyes widen to how fast it is.

"Master Bruce, what is going on?" He asks.

Bruce pulls out a syringe out of a drawer and fills it with a clear liquid. He returns to Keira's side.

"The water at the police station is contaminated. This is what Joker was doing at the reservoir."

Bruce rips off the sleeve of Keira's shirt. He gingerly holds her arm as he carefully inserts the needle. He lets the needle drop to the floor. Bruce reaches up and gently pushes back Keira's hair from her face.

Within seconds, Keira's breathing has slowed and her pulse decreased to a normal range. Bruce stays at her side, carefully observing her.

"Perhaps you should let her recover in her own room, not in here." Alfred suggests. He comes around and picks up the discarded syringe. He smirks. Bruce sighs and does as he told.

On the way to her room, Bruce realized that he almost lost Keira. The only person besides Alfred who truly knows him. Bruce contemplates his relationship with Keira. Could he actual have a relationship with her? She does know what he's been through, and she's been through Hell like him. She could be the final undoing of Batman. And for once, Bruce wasn't afrad to admit it.


	5. Chapter 5

"Bruce." Keira mumbles. She stirs in her bed. Keira opens her eyes at the bright light shining into her room.

Keira looks down at herself, surprised that she is in her usual old t-shirt and boxers as pajamas. She checks the clock next to her bed, 2:47p.m. Keira jumps. She reads the clock again. Holy shit, it is 2 in the afternoon. She rubs her eyes and crawls out of bed.

Keira stumbles out into the hallway. She makes way for the kitchen. Keira tries to remember the events of early this morning. Her memories are somewhat foggy but she remembered what happened. Keira leans against the island in the kitchen and rests her head on her palm. Wow, what a night.

"Good afternoon, Miss. Keira." Keira jumps at the sound. Alfred smiles at her. He walks over to the sink and begins washing dishes.

"Alfred, where's Bruce?" Keira asks.

"In the study, Miss. Keira." He doesn't turn but Keira can tell that he is happy that she asked about him. She smirks at him.

"Thanks, Alf." She says slyly. She leaves the kitchen and slips into the study.

Bruce is sitting at the large mahogany desk. He's reading emails and proposals for Wayne Industries.

"Hello, Keira." He says. Bruce doesn't look up but a small smile is placed on his lips. Keira stands in front of his desk and peers down at the paperwork. She's suddenly grateful she doesn't run a huge company.

"Do you have any idea what was in the water at the station?" She asks. She leaves her spot in front of the desk and takes a lays down on a black chaise. Bruce pauses and looks up from his work.

"Some sort of toxin that Joker created. It tricks your brain into thinking that you need oxygen, making you hyperventilate and your pulse to rapidly increase. I went to the station this morning, the toxin was only found in the jug that the water that you drank came from. Joker had specifically targeted you. He knew that you would be working at the station that night."

Keira stiffens. Does that mean Joker knows that she's working with Batman? The conversation turns serious.

"Could Joker know that I'm working with you?"

"It's a possibility but I think Joker could have just been targeting you, just a coincidence that Batman was at the reservoir."

"How did he know I would be at the station? That's what confuses me the most. No one knew I would be there except for you and Gordon." Keira rubs her temples. She suddenly stands.

"He wasn't targeting me, he was targeting Gordon. The water machine is directly behind his desk. He knew that Gordon would get water from it."

Bruce stares at Keira in somewhat of an awe. He's even more thankful now that she's working with him. Bruce is momentarily stunned that he didn't think of that on his own. He should've noticed that right away. He scolds himself for not thinking of every possible victim. He doesn't reply to Keira's input. Bruce stands from his chair.

"I'm going to the cave."

She stares at the back of his head as he enters the cave from behind the large grandfather clock. She turns and heads back into the mansion.

"Miss. Keira, is there anything I can get for you?" Alfred looks at Keira expectantly. Keira is back in the kitchen, sitting on the bar. She is now fully dressed in jeans and a loose maroon long sleeve shirt. Her brown hair is pulled up into a loose ponytail. She sighs before answering him.

"No thanks, Alfred." She stands. Alfred notices that she seems sadder; her eyes aren't as vibrant as they normally are. Something isn't right. He would have to ask Bruce later. "I'm going to visit a friend. I'll take the subway." She turns to leave the kitchen but Alfred stops her.

"Nonsense, I will gladly drive you." Her lips curl up into a small but sad smile. She takes a few steps back and is now leaning against the kitchen door.

"You driving me is nonsense when I will gladly take the subway." She leaves the kitchen.

Keira hurries out of the mansion with a jacket and wallet. She feels claustrophobic in the mansion, even though the mass size of it totally contradicts that. She pauses as she reaches the outdoors. The afternoon sun warms her face and body. She's forgotten how nice it is to be outdoors, during the day that is.

Keira continues down the long driveway to the subway station less than a mile away from the manor.

The subway is exactly how Keira remembered it. Just more graffiti on the walls and windows. Keira rests her head on the metal pole. _**What**__am I doing?_ Her subconscious interrogates her about her plans for the future, the outcome with living with Bruce Wayne, working with Batman, her r_elationship_ with Bruce. She knows there is something between them although she denies it.

Bruce cares for her too much and it's all too soon, and she knows it. His judgment has been clouded since he first met her. Could there be something more between them? _Of course there __**could**__ be, but I doubt Bruce would let that happen._

"Old Gotham. Next top, Gotham Square." The automated voice stirred Keira from her thoughts. She glanced around the subway car at the few people getting up from their seats. The doors slid open and she hurried out onto the streets.

Keira crossed the few blocks before standing in front of the Gordon's house. _Maybe I should have called Barbara to make sure I could come over…_ She hesitated before knocking on the front door.

"Keira!" James shouted. He swung open the door and gave me a tight hug. _Holy smokes, James!_ Keira couldn't remember the last time she saw James. He was two years younger than Barbara. She hadn't seen him since he was 15. He was so much taller, and definitely packed on some muscle. This she could tell from the tightness of his hug. James pulled himself Keira away and looked her over. He whistled. Keira couldn't help but blush.

"Wow, if I didn't know you for pretty much my whole life I'd be hitting on you right now." He admits. Keira rolls her eyes. She couldn't help but think the same for him, too.

"Right back, at ya, James." She lightly elbows him before entering the house. Barbara is walking towards her with a smile.

"Hey! What are you doing here? Everything ok?" She asks. She gives Keira a hug as well.

"Yeah, just wanted to see you guys." Keira reassures her.

Barbara pulls Keira into the living room. They sit on the loveseat. Barbara looks at her expectantly.

"Where's Jim and your mom?"

"Dinner and a movie. Its date night for them. I'm stuck watching James here, something's never change I tell ya." Barbara dramatically waves her hands around for emphasis.

"Except for James. I remember him being a scrawny little freshman before I left!" James walks into the living room with a bowl of popcorn. The two watch as he shoves a handful in his mouth.

"I remember when you weren't so hot, Keira." He says between chews. Barbara gags and throws a pillow at him, which he easily catches with his free hand. He plops onto the other couch and turns on the TV. "I mean, you were _always_ hot, but now…" He gives Keira a wink. Keira giggles. _Oh, man. How I miss this family._

"Ew, James. Stop trying to get with my best friend. She's too good for you, anyway." He sticks his tongue out at her and she reciprocates.

"What's up, really though." Barbara fully faces Keira. Keira looks everywhere but Barbara.

What _is_ up? Keira doesn't even know what's going on. Things have gotten so serious at the manor and with Bruce. She didn't expect her life to be like this at all. She lets out a long sigh and sinks into the couch.

"I just needed a _normal_ night. It's just gotten too… hectic, I guess."

"Well, you're always welcome here, you know that. What going on, Keira? You look…" Barbara glances around before finishing her sentence.

"Withdrawn. Tired. Worn."

"I feel those things, Babs. I almost died last night." Keira whispers.

"What?!" Barbara exclaims. Her voice echoes throughout the house. James gives B a look before returning to the TV. He's so into whatever is playing.

"I was… working with Batman. And I was at the station. I drank some water that had some sort of toxin in it. I had to be sedated. My pulse was through the roof."

"Batman saved you?"

"Yes."

Keira leaves out the part that the water was targeted for her father. Barbara slumps on the couch. She seems to be in deep thought.

"What did Bruce say? Speaking of which, how is staying there?"

"He…" _Shit._ _How do I answer that?_ "Uh, he… doesn't know." Her statement seemed more like a question. "And its fine there, I guess. I don't know how much longer I can stay there." She says truthfully.

Keira doesn't know how much longer she can stay in that deserted mansion. The only source of life is Alfred and her. Bruce is either cooped up in the cave or at work. It's such a big place for only three people, let alone two.

"Well, I don't care if you tell him about what happened, it isn't really any of his business anyway, unless… you two…" Her voice becomes mischievous. Keira immediately interprets Barbara's meaning.

"No! No, no. We have not done _anything_ and will probably not do anything." Barbara rolls her eyes, fully aware that that won't be the case for long.

"Anyway, we should get a place together. I've actually been looking for myself. I know a few that can work for the two of us."

Keira loves the sound of that. No more awkwardness at the mansion, no more silence. There would actually be life living with Barbara. She smiles.

"Yes! Let's do it, seriously. I'm all in for this. And let's do it fast, like 24 hours fast." Keira becomes hyper just talking about it. Barbara squeals.

"Ugh…_ Girls." _James groans as he walks by with an empty bowl of popcorn. Keira hears him go into the kitchen.

"Whatever. I'll talk to my realtor tomorrow morning! I know the perfect place! I saw it a few days ago, and it's the perfect place for us. We could even move into tomorrow night!" Her smile is bright and excited.

"The sooner the better, Babs, really."

Babs smile fades. She looks at Keira with concern.

"Keira, is everything _ok_? I mean really. You just seem… off, somehow." Keira shrugs.

"Physically, I'm fine, disregarding what happened last night. But, I'm just tired I guess. Gotham has taken a toll on me."

"Yeah, ha, it does that." Keira smiles and shakes her head.

"It's not what I've pictured, when I was back in California. I knew I would be up all night doing research, but I thought for the mob, or some big ass serial killer or something. Not an actual villain. I just have to get used to it, and I will." Keira finished confidently. Babs smiles at her lifelong friend.

"You will, I think you're the best for your job. You're the only one I know who can do it."

"I'm ordering Chinese! You want the usual, K.?!" James calls from the kitchen. Keira smiles at the fact that James still remembers what she would always get, orange chicken with fried rice. Barbara looks at her expectantly, knowing that Keira will stay for dinner.

"Yeah, thanks James!"

Babs smile grows.

"Alright, movie night like old times!" She stands and walks over to the movie case. "I think we both needed this, girls night in, plus James."

Keira smiles. She hopes it will stay like old times. She has a feeling in the pit of her stomach that this may be her last 'normal' night for a long time.

Keira stands in front of the giant wooden doors of the mansion. It's way past midnight and she knows that Bruce is either on patrol or about to. She left her phone and keys that Bruce had recently gave her. She hopes he won't get mad at her for that.

Keira stares at the iron knocker. She doesn't want to knock, she'll wake up Alfred. And frankly, she doesn't want to see or talk to anyone, even her favorite English butler. _Maybe I can sneak in._

Keira walks along the side of the mansion. She sees the window to her room. It's not _that_ high, thankfully there's a large oak tree next to it. She grins. _This should be a piece of cake._

Keira climbs the base of the oak. Her sneakers grip onto the low branches. She's almost in front of her window. The thought of how she was going to actually open the window crosses her mind. _Shit, didn't think about that._ The moon provides enough light for her to see her surroundings. Keira eyes the branch in front of her, it's the only way for her to reach the window and it's about five feet away. She's going to have to jump.

She slowly rises to her feet, holding onto the branches above her for support. Her eyes scan the far branch, planning for where her feet will land. Keira bends her knees and jumps. She effortlessly and gracefully lands on the branch. She's somewhat shocked that she didn't fall since there were no surrounding branches for her to maintain her balance and to rest her hands on. She steadies herself.

"Impressive." A dark voice interrupts Keira's focused state. She jumps and almost losing her balance, almost. She glares down at the voice. It's Bruce. Keira isn't surprised that it's him.

He walks out of the shadows and under Keira. He's not in his suit, he's wearing black sweats that hang low on his hips and a tight compression shirt. He's been working out. Keira looks him over, she secretly admires the definition of his muscles.

"How did you know I was here?" She asks. Keira crouches down and sits on the branch. She swings her legs back and forth.

"I do have a security system, you know." He states as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I was just wondering how you were going to open your window once you reached it. It's impossible to open from the outside." Bruce makes his way over to the base of the oak.

Keira watches him effortlessly scale the oak. He jumps onto the branch that she is sitting on. She notes that it barely moved under his weight. She wonders if she looked as graceful as he just did.

"I would've found a way." She smirks. He sits a few feet away from her.

"Oh, I'm sure you would." Keira smiles at him. He's looking up at the moon. It's full. The moonlight perfectly lights Bruce's features. Keira looks him over.

His hair has grown longer since when she first met him. It slightly brushes against the middle of his forehead. He has stubble along his jaw and chin. She admits that it looks good on him, it gives him a more rough appeal. He suddenly turns to her. His eyes are bright. Keira maintains her stare for a few seconds before looking away.

Strangely, she wasn't embarrassed that he had caught her gawking at him. Her eyes gazed at the luminescent moon before glancing back at Bruce. He was still watching her.

"I went to the Gordons in case you were wondering. I needed a little normality at that moment." He looks away.

"I understand."

Bruce stares at his black sneakers. The silence between Keira and him is comfortable. He's glad he didn't go on patrol early tonight. He wouldn't have gotten this moment to be with her. Bruce turned his gaze back to her. She was looking up at the sky.

Keira really was beautiful, and she didn't even know it. Bruce loved that about her. She didn't know how stunning she was, how men looked at her, women, too.

He stands.

"We should probably get done." He says. Keira instantly stands as well. The tree branch hardly moves. Keira follows Bruce back down to solid ground. The slowly walk towards the front door, neither of them want to go in the mansion.

"Bruce…" Keira trails off. Bruce stops and faces her. Her eyes look everywhere but him. He can tell that she's nervous. This perks his interest. "I never got to say thank you." She finally looks at him. She's cautious and wary of his actions. Keira isn't used to saying thank you, nor is she good at it.

"It's ok."

"It's not though. I know that you save lives almost every night, but still, thank you. I would be dead if it weren't for you." Bruce stiffens at the thought of Keira dead. He doesn't like it one bit. He doesn't respond right away. Bruce turns his gaze from Keira. He watches the stars above them.

"If I could save anyone over and over, it would be you, Keira." His voice is soft and smooth. "I don't know what I would do if… if you died."

Keira stares at him. She stares at the man whom she barely knows yet knows so much about. He's nervous and anxious. Keira realizes that this is Bruce opening up to her. He's letting his guard down.

"Bruce." She whispers. His blue eyes find hers. They're wary and unsure of how Keira will react to his confession. He begins to regret telling her that.

Keira closes the distance between them. She wraps her arms around Bruce's neck. He's staring down at her with uncertainty and also amusement. Suddenly, without any more delay, Keira presses her lips against Bruce's.

Immediately, Bruce returns the kiss. His hands rest against the small of Keira's back. He pulls her tighter against him. Bruce deepens the kiss. Keira pulls him as close as she can.

Although they have denied their feelings before, Keira and Bruce can no longer hide them as much as they want to. They both don't want the kiss to end, but they know better. Bruce has to go to patrol and Keira still had to tell him she was moving. That would crush him, especially now.

The sound of tires and car doors slamming alerts Bruce and Keira. They pull away. Bruce rests his forehead against Keira's, they both regain their breath.

"Did you hear that?" Keira asks between breaths.

"Yeah, car doors." Bruce takes one more hesitant breath before releasing Keira. He grabs her hand and walks to the front of the manor. Keira can't help but notice how nice his hand feels wrapped around her own.

The lights from the car momentarily block the vision of Bruce and Keira. They walk around and are surprised at whom they see.

"Commissioner Gordon." Bruce becomes his playboy persona although he is still tightly holding Keira's hand. Keira is shocked the Jim is at the mansion. _How did he know where I was?_ She suddenly feels like a young girl caught with a boy. Keira ignores her emotions.

"Mr. Wayne."

"Jim, what's wrong?" She walks closer to Jim, pulling Bruce who won't let go of her hand. Jim leans against the white car. He takes a deep breath. Keira notices that he isn't in his usual work uniform. He's still dressed up from his date with Mrs. Gordon.

"The police station was set on fire by the Joker. We don't have any evidence from previous and current cases. The whole thing has burnt down from top to bottom. The station collapsed in on itself."


End file.
